Field
Various features relate to display monitors, and in particular, to liquid-resistant display monitors featuring a protective overmolding.
Background
Modern operating rooms feature technologically advanced equipment, such as computers, displays, advanced lighting systems, and other electronic equipment. For example, display monitors are now routinely used in operating rooms to assist doctors and other medical staff in performing many medical procedures including surgery. Such display monitors may be used, for instance, to display images received from a camera within a patient's body.
Given the type of environment such display monitors reside in, they are routinely exposed to fluids, moisture, microorganisms, and are also liable to receive ample physical wear. For example, such a display monitor is often attached to a boom arm that allows the display monitor to swivel above a patient and close to the medical staff performing and assisting with the medical procedure/surgery. In such a case, fluids such as blood, water, etc. find their way onto the display monitor given the monitor's close proximity to the patient and staff
Moreover, the close proximity of these boom arm-supported display monitors to medical staff presents a subtle danger of accidental bodily harm to the staff. For example, it is not uncommon for surgeons and assisting medical staff to accidentally bump their heads against unseen display monitors that are suspended in air by the boom arms. The harm may be amplified given that display monitors typically have sharp corners and edges that make such accidents anything but trivial.
As mentioned above, modern operating rooms include and utilize a multitude of electronic devices. In many cases it would be advantageous if some of these electronic devices could directly interface with the display monitor. For example, it would be advantageous if peripheral devices such as video cameras, microphones, speakers, and/or wireless communication devices could couple to and directly interface with the display monitor, especially in a manner that secured the interface connections in a liquid-resistant fashion.
Thus, there exists a need for display monitors that are resistant to fluids, provide user safety against accidental contact, and also allow for a plurality of peripheral device connections.